The magic of Malèna

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Movie
German title The magic of Malèna
Original title Malèna
Country of production Italy , Germany
original language Italian
Publishing year 2000
length 109 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Giuseppe Tornatore
script Giuseppe Tornatore,
Luciano Vincenzoni
production Carlo Bernasconi
music Ennio Morricone
camera Lajos Koltai
cut Massimo Quaglia
occupation

The Magic of Malèna (original title Malèna ) is an Italian-German feature film by the director and screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore from the year 2000 .

content

The film begins in Sicily in the 1940s at the beginning of the Second World War in a quiet town called Castelcutò. A boy, thirteen-year-old Renato, experiences three major events in one day: firstly, Italy enters the war, secondly, he gets a new bike, and thirdly, he sees beautiful Malèna for the first time.

Malèna's husband has to go to North Africa and fight the English there. Malèna is left alone with her father, an elderly man who is almost deaf. Malèna's appearance arouses lust in men and envy in women. The rumor mill is simmering in the prejudiced town. However, contrary to rumors, she is loyal to her husband. She just wants to be left alone.

Renato is in the middle of puberty and begins to rave about the beautiful Malèna. His fantasies increase more and more until his fascination for the shy young woman turns into an obsession. He often peeks through her window while she sadly awaits the return of her beloved husband. Renato steals Malèna's underwear and, to his parents' horror, begins to fantasize sexually about them. They try everything to dissuade him, but fail.

Finally, the news reaches Malèna that her husband had died in North Africa. She struggles with her sadness and loneliness. She visits her father regularly and helps him around the house. However, when a defamatory letter is leaked to him, it has a disastrous effect on their relationship. The situation gets worse when Malèna is dragged to court over a supposed love affair with a married man. Malèna is acquitted because the statements are followed that the accusation is pure harassment, as the other women felt unsettled and threatened by Malèna's beauty. After her acquittal, Malèna is visited by her lawyer at home. Renato peeked through the window again and witnessed Malèna's rape. The lawyer justifies this as settling the outstanding bill. Renato feels more and more like Malèna's protector and carries out small acts of revenge on residents who persuade Malèna.

The war reaches Sicily and the city is bombed. Malèna's father dies and she is left all alone. Malèna's poverty and the struggle to survive ultimately force her into prostitution. The other residents smugly watch as she is pushed into her role as a whore. However, the aversion of the female population knew no boundaries when Malèna got involved with the German occupiers. The pent-up hatred is cruelly discharged when the Americans march in. Malèna is finally forced to leave the city.

When her husband, who had been declared dead, returns to town a few days later, no one wants to tell him anything about his wife's whereabouts. Renato lets him know in an anonymous letter that she got on the train to Messina and that she always loved only him, her husband, and that the rumors about her infidelity were lies. A year later, Malèna and her husband return to the city. The other residents, and especially the women, are amazed at their courage and begin to respectfully address them as “Signora Scordia”. Although she is still beautiful, they no longer see her as a threat, but rather blaspheme that she has gained wrinkles and weight. Malèna, as shy as ever, observes the renewed attention with suspicion after her experiences.

In the last scene on the beach, Renato helps her pick up oranges that fell out of her shopping bag. He wishes her “Buona fortuna, Signora Malèna” and drives off on his bike, only to turn around to look at her again. When the scene fades out, you can hear the grown-up Renato ponder that he never forgot Malèna even after all these years.

Awards

The film was nominated for two Oscars (Best Cinematography, Best Film Music) and received the David di Donatello , the most important Italian film award, in 2001 . It also ran in the 2001 Berlinale competition .

particularities

The Magic of Malèna was sold on the US market by Harvey Weinstein . Because of the many nude scenes by Monica Bellucci and especially because of the scenes between 13-year-old Renato and Malèna, the film had to be cut for the USA. This cinema version, which was also marketed internationally, is only 92 minutes long, whereas Italian cinema-goers, according to IMDb , were able to see a 109-minute film; the version is available as a Korean special edition DVD.

Giuseppe Tornatore saw Monica Bellucci in a commercial for a Dolce & Gabbana perfume and offered her the role of Malèna.

The place name Castelcutò is fictional. The outdoor shots were shot in Messina , Noto , Syracuse and Taormina in Sicily.

Reviews

“The story of a boy growing up in the Italy of fascism and the tragedy of a woman who has to pay for her beauty. The brilliant play by Monica Bellucci, Italy's new superstar, is outstanding. "

- Focus on film

"Warm-hearted and with adorable humor."

“... Tornatore distills a second hand Fellini ambience in Italy in the forties with a lot of visual values ​​and constantly pretends to offer more than the pompous childhood memories of a pubescent village youngster. The fate of its protagonist, however, ultimately remains superficial, the political framework serves more as a colorful timeline than as a real historical-social classification ... "

- Bayern3 film database

Web links

supporting documents

  1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213847/locations
  2. http://www.cinema.de/film/der-zauber-von-malna,1320805.html